It didn't always appear that Redskins coach Mike Shanahan and Robert Griffin III were on the same page this summer regarding the quarterback's playing status. / Steve Helber, AP

by Jarrett Bell, USATODAY

by Jarrett Bell, USATODAY

Robert Griffin III and Mike Shanahan will engage in an intense battle of wills stemming from how the star quarterback is utilized in the Washington Redskins offense as he returns to action after reconstructive knee surgery.

And this might not be pretty.

"There will be stress, because of where they stand - a natural stress," Young told USA TODAY Sports. "I guarantee at some point early in the season it will be an issue. I can see them yelling at each other over the division (of opinion).

"There's going to be natural stress, but they'll both handle it. Robert is a mature young man. Mike will have his best interests at heart. They'll figure it out."

Young has better perspective than most. The Hall of Fame quarterback had the best years of career and won Super Bowl XXIX MVP honors when Shanahan was his offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers.

He senses that Griffin is eager to go all out in his comeback, while Shanahan will be challenged to preserve the health of last season's NFL offensive rookie of the year.

Griffin was medically cleared to play Thursday by renowned surgeon James Andrews, passing a final physical that paves the way for him to start the Monday night opener against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedEx Field on Sept. 9.

Yet the messages that emerged Thursday after Washington's final preseason game at Tampa Bay, where Andrews examined Griffin, seemingly fell in line with Young's suspicion that there is turbulence ahead in the relationship between the coach and quarterback.

After Griffin tweeted the news that he was cleared by Andrews, Shanahan confirmed it during a postgame news conference. But the coach stopped short of declaring Griffin would start Week 1 - the expectation that Shanahan previously indicated - and told reporters that he would update Griffin's status Monday.

Shanahan said Andrews had "a couple of concerns" about Griffin, but the coach would not reveal the specific nature of any lingering issues.

"If there's any tension, it's going to be because Robert wants to go 100%, and Mike will want to make sure that he misses the traps," said Young, an analyst for ESPN. "That'll be ongoing. I'm sure Mike is saying, 'We've got to be careful.'

Young says part of the pressure on Shanahan will be to use Griffin conservatively within a scheme that includes read-option plays. He doesn't expect Shanahan will completely scrap such threats that were so effective last season, but the strategy must limit the exposure to hits on Griffin - and the quarterback will have to fall in line with the idea of self-preservation.

"Mike is walking on a tightrope," Young said of the read-option plays. "He's going to have to do it. But can (they) run it without Robert really ending up with the football? Can (they) give the look to the defense, but truly he doesn't run with the football?"

Young knows that his former coach realizes the risks.

"I think he has a 30,000-foot view of it," Young said of Shanahan. "In the big picture, this guy can be one of the best in this generation. But he can't have another injury.

"It's just circumstance that Mike is in this position. If Colin Kaepernick got hurt, the same onus would fall on Jim Harbaugh (with the 49ers). It would be the same challenge."

Young figures that the preseason chatter about Griffin playing in the tune-up games was nothing more than white noise to Shanahan.

Yet with Griffin cleared and the real games set to begin, the stakes are raised.

"I think every week, as long as Robert is healthy and plays they will get farther away from the issue," Young said.

But perhaps not without some serious heat.

Young, by the way, insists that he never yelled at Shanahan.

"No, I yelled at George," Young recalled, referring to former 49ers coach George Seifert. "Mike was upstairs in the coaching booth. But if Mike were on the sideline, who knows what would have happened?"